Shitsunen Forest
Far to the east of Jiyu, there lies a forest of curious nature. The Shitsunen Forest... or the Forgetting Forest. It is here that many travel to seek out the secret spring, whose magical waters hold a terrifying ability. The power to erase one's memories. The lighting beneath the forest canopy is dim. Here, there is a sense of twilight. To those with a sense of magic - it is everywhere. The trees are old and thick, the leaves a rich, dark green. The forest floor is spread with gnarled roots and it is difficult terrain on anywhere but the few established paths. The animal life here is bountiful, but the spirits more so. Ghosts of the memories forgotten by the spring can often be glimpsed out of the corner of one's eye, passing through the forest. But turn to look.. and they are gone. The Guardian of the Forest The Guardian of Shitsunen Forest often appears as a pale, ghostly woman with blood scarlet hair that moves and sways in a wind that does not exist within the breathless forest. She is a trickster by nature and will hide the spring from all who would seek to use it for untoward purposes. Only those seeking to forget traumatic experiences are ever allowed to find the spring. To some she is know as Usoki. To others.. she is but a fleeting shadow. Laughter in the distance, but never pinpointed. To Those Who Seek Passage Those who seek passage through the forest are for the most part left alone, but travel through the forest is not without its dangers. One can often be traveling through it and simply forget what they are doing, where they are going, or where they are. Such adventurers tend to be those who disrespect the forest or the Guardian in some way. It is generally recommended not to take living wood from the forest for fires. Fallen branches are fine, but chopping wood is discouraged - if you wish to remember what is you were doing in the first place or why you were even there. The Blessing of the Guardian The town lying on the edge of the forest has received the blessing of the Guardian and to those who live there for a long time generally find themselves with an exceptionally good memory. Those Who Dare To those who dare, the wood of the forest is exceptionally.. magical. If you can get away with it, the wood has valuable magical properties for creating items of memory altering quality - but that is a difficult prospect for even the most savvy adventurers. The Spring of Shitsunen Should you find the spring, you are confronted with a small pond of sorts.. not quite large enough to be a lake, but large none the less. At the center of this pond is a massive tree, thick and old. It is dark and odd... different from all the rest of the woods. From its base bubbles the spring of magical water some desperately seek. The only way to find this strange place of legend is to be overcome with grief and tragedy. Things so horrible, you feel you must forget. The Guardian will oblige you.. whether it is wise or not is up to you - for you will forget everything. You will not just forget the memories you wish to lose... but who you are entirely. Taste the waters.. begin again... It is up to you to decide. Category:Sheng Places